Merlin in the New Age
by alecjacques
Summary: This is a story about Merlin and the coming of Arthur. Set around 2017 in England.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

It's been a long time. A long, long time. So long I've stopped keeping the time. Everything has changed. Although, I had not noticed until very recently.

I woke up. Finally. I could tell that a length of time had passed but it only seemed like yesterday that…wait, what? What happened? I shook my head and began to rise into a sitting position. Ah, I have such long hair now. My hair had grown to below my waist and I could feel a lengthy beard lying over my abdomen. I looked around taking in the sight of my decades old cabin. It was small and simple - all I needed for such a long slumber. Slowly, I got out of the small bed and stood up. Luckily, preserving myself and my cabin in a series of intricate spells, I was not the worse for wear after having been asleep for all these years. What was more concerning was why I had awoken. I stumbled outside to grab some wood, and blinking away the glaring sun, I gasped.

Sprawled out before me was a, well a… hmmm how could I describe it? They were homes, but made of material I had never seen before! Tall and skinny castles made of some reflective material that shone like armor. I could hear such a clatter as I have only heard in battles, only there was no melancholy wailing and there were no fires or the familiar sound of metal upon metal. They were higher pitched and more upbeat, and yet such wailing as still grates against my ears. How long had I actually slept? My stomach complained, louder than the sound rising from these houses and castles. I chuckled to myself, "Welcome to a new life!" I said aloud. Grabbing a small pile of wood, I went back inside and made a fire. Oh, I don't have any food. Quickly, using magic, I doused the fire and went back out to look for some source of food. The magic circle in which I had encased myself had left a fair amount of woods available for me to grab a few berries and plants that could provide sustenance. However, there was no water. I would need to venture away from my current residence and establish myself in the new age. But first, this hair had to go. I returned to the cabin. I know I put a sword somewhere…

It all came rushing back to me, the dragons, the army, the war, the forbidden magic, the druids, Morgana, …. Arthur… Arthur…Arthur. I collapsed onto the ground holding my head as it pounded with each memory that came flooding back. I couldn't hold the tears back. My magic had preserved me for this long and I couldn't even protect him. Wait for him. That's what I had to do. As long as I was around, he would return. The prophecy must come true and I must be here to fulfill it. Wiping away tears and drawing Excalibur from its sheath, I cut off as much of the hair as I could except the beard, to remind me of how long I had waited for the rightful king's return. And so, I set out to begin my life in this new world and search for my lost king.

And thus begins the tale of _Merlin in the New Age_


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 _****(Disclaimer: I know that the legendary lake itself does not reside within walking distance of a town, however, this is fiction. Bear with me.)****_

"What a day!" I say aloud to Arthur, my cat, and threw myself into a chair. I had bought a nice black cat and named him Arthur just because I wanted to come home and say his name. I had just returned from a long day working at the library just down the street. A few months had passed since I left my little cabin on the hill. I now had a full time job and a small apartment. I understood the ways of this city and what was called what. Although, I doubt I'll get used to this technology very quickly, but I'm trying. Every day, in between doing actual work, I would research the legends of Arthur, using something called a computer. It was astonishing to learn about this new world and how they had turned the tales of Arthur and myself into pure legend. I had felt of mixture of anger and hilarity at the arguments that had ensued over our existence. I also had to go through the embarrassment of how people had interpreted my role in these legends.

I had read about how I had raised Arthur from a young farmer's family after he was sent away by his father. I read about how I had played a minor role in Arthur's reign. I read about how his pulling a sword out of a stone made him king and how he had done that at 12. _What a laugh that was._ I read about how magic had not been banned under Arthur and he had lived a long life with the knights of the round table all in their own adventures. So gallant were they all in these legends and so little was there mention of one being more important than the other. But they all said the same thing, that Arthur would rise again and take his rightful place as king just as it has been prophesied. But still no luck on how to get him back.

"What I really need is a magic book store or something of that sort, right, Arthur?" I looked over at my cat who jumped down from the radiator to his dish. "MEOW" he called out angrily. "Ah, you want food?" I lazily whirled my finger and cat food poured into his dish. Arthur meowed in dissent. "Ah, don't be so picky, it's not going to hurt you." As I said it, though, a pang of guilt shot through my body. Arthur stalked away. Even though using magic was not punishable by death, it was still not a great idea to use it whenever I wished. I could usually explain it away if anyone saw me, but even my boss was beginning to wonder how I could reach such high shelves at my age, seemingly with no ladder in sight. Although my looks had aged, in spirit, I had not aged much. I put on a look of arthritic elderliness but I did not feel it. It was all a guise until I found Arthur again.

I began to feel restless, so I decided grab a quick dinner elsewhere and head to the usual spot. Grabbing a few items, I said goodbye to Arthur and walked down towards a favorite spot of mine - a bench near the lake where I had set Arthur adrift. It was a nice bench that had a great view of the sunset, perfect for watching and waiting for my king. Every so often, I would sit here on a bench and eat a small dinner, watching the sunset, and waiting. So, I sat there, waiting. Suddenly, I felt myself stand up and put my arm up. I began chanting. I'm not sure where the words were coming from or what had come over me. I chanted for what seemed like a very long time and I felt like I was in a trance. When I finally came back to myself, almost no time had passed. Luckily, no one had seen the weird old man chanting at a lake, or so I thought…

"Hullo!"

I turned around sharply. There was man there with black hair and a fun, boyish face. It had the look of mischief and _wait, I knew this man_. I couldn't help but smile.

"You know, you shouldn't be saying such weird things around here. Someone might think you're up to something you shouldn't be." He said with a wink.

"You youngsters don't know a thing about old age. When you reach my age, you don't really care what others think." I harrumphed and heavily sat down on the bench. There was a stretch of silence and suddenly the man began moving around to face me.

"For some reason, I think I should be here. I don't know why that is." The young man sat down next to me.

"Hmmm and you think I should know?"

"I think you know more about me than you let on. What's with that silly grin?"

"Oh, are we friends now that you can call a strange old man silly?"

"I feel that we are."

Unknowingly, my tone switched to that of a sad, reminiscent old man. "My young friend, it has been a long time since we have seen each other. You would not know me now." I sighed.

Alarmed, he shot out of his seat. "You do know me!? Were you a teacher? Babysitter? I apologize I don't recognize you!"

"No, no. Sit down, Sir Lancelot -" _Oops_ , I thought, _that slipped out_.

Conveniently, I didn't have to explain myself as Lancelot's body hit the ground. He was out in a dead faint. I looked around to make sure that no one was around and breathed a revival spell over his body while also checking for any signs of injury. No injuries, just a fainting spell. _Hehe, spell._

Slowly, I helped Lancelot up and onto the bench as he awoke. Once fully awake, he turned to me, "Merlin?" We embraced, laughing and crying.

"I don't understand. How did you recognize me?"

"I don't know how I recognize you now, but all my memories just came flooding back. I remember you and Arthur and the other knights, but wait, where am I? Why am I wearing these clothes? When did you get so old?"

 _Uh-oh_ , I thought. _This will be troublesome if he's forgotten who he was_.

"Let me explain everything. First, let's get back to my place. It's getting dark and I would feel more comfortable explaining there."

 _So, I found the first knight, Arthur_.


End file.
